REHAB: NO, NO, NO

Drug-related deaths in the UK are rising each year, but council spending on rehab centres has been slashed by up to 58%, HuffPost reveals today. As part of our ‘Austerity Bites’ series this week, we cover the closure of Chandos House in Bristol following “swingeing austerity” cuts. It’s left the city without a single residential rehab centre.

Analysis by HuffPost UK found that over two-thirds of councils who responded to an FOI request have budgeted to spend less on residential rehab and detox services. Some local authorities have made significants cuts this year, including Bolton which has cut the budget by 58%; Lambeth, which has cut its budget by 57%; and West Sussex and Leeds, which had both cut budgets by 54%.